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Musical resilience from Pekka Kuusisto and Katarina Barruk at the Proms

By Nick Boston, 31 August 2025

An eclectic programme including evocative Sámi joiks from and powerful Shostakovich performed from memory by the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.

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London

31 Aug 2025

Musical resilience from Kuusisto and Barruk at the BBC Proms

By Nick Boston

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Lenox

Navigating from the Pacific Coast to Nordic landscapes: Adès and Kuusisto at Tanglewood

By Edward Sava-Segal, 13 July 2025

Textures, tensions and transformations across musical perspectives imbue the Tanglewood programme Thomas Adès inherited from Esa-Pekka Salonen.

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Lenox

13 Jul 2025

From the Pacific Coast to Nordic landscapes at Tanglewood

By Edward Sava-Segal

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Los Angeles

Salonen brings Bryce Dessner's Violin Concerto to the LA Philharmonic

By Cameron Kelsall, 04 May 2025

Leading his former orchestra and soloist Pekka Kuusisto, Esa-Pekka Salonen bookends his San Francisco commission with two crowd-pleasers from the standard repertory.

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Los Angeles

04 May 2025

Salonen brings Bryce Dessner's Violin Concerto to the LA Philharmonic

By Cameron Kelsall

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Glasgow

Pekka Kuusisto and Simon Crawford-Phillips bring New Dimensions to SCO

By David Smythe, 14 March 2025

Pekka Kuusisto and Simon Crawford-Phillips lead the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a musical arc featuring works by Britten, Adès, Andres, Beamish and Haydn.

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Glasgow

14 Mar 2025

Kuusisto and Crawford-Phillips bring New Dimensions to SCO

By David Smythe

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Edinburgh

Kuusisto and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Anna Clyne and Helen Grime UK premieres

By David Smythe, 14 March 2024

Pekka Kuusisto and the SCO burst with energy in UK premieres from Anna Clyne and Helen Grime with soprano Ruby Hughes.

*****

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*****

Edinburgh

14 Mar 2024

Kuusisto and the SCO in Anna Clyne and Helen Grime premieres

By David Smythe

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Berlin

May I have your attention? Pekka Kuusisto and the DSO in Berlin

By Elena Luporini, 17 December 2023

At the head of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Pekka Kuusisto greets the holidays in Berlin with a Haydn-centred concert featuring works by Anna Clyne, Caroline Shaw and Beethoven.

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Berlin

17 Dec 2023

May I have your attention? Pekka Kuusisto and the DSO in Berlin

By Elena Luporini

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Cleveland

Thomas Adès and The Cleveland Orchestra conjure tempests old and new

By Sam Jacobson, 30 March 2023

Having often been featured as a composer on Cleveland Orchestra programs, Thomas Adès makes his podium debut with the orchestra, leading his own music coupled with analogous works of Sibelius.

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Cleveland

30 Mar 2023

Thomas Adès and The Cleveland Orchestra conjure tempests old and new

By Sam Jacobson

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London

High wire clarinet: Martin Fröst astonishes in Anna Clyne’s concerto

By Mark Pullinger, 23 March 2023

Weathered, Anna Clyne’s new clarinet concerto which showcases the remarkable skills of Swedish player Martin Fröst, receives its UK premiere.

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London

23 Mar 2023

High wire clarinet: Martin Fröst astonishes in Anna Clyne’s concerto

By Mark Pullinger

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Berlin

Composer at the mirror: Thomas Adès makes Berliner Philharmoniker debut

By Elena Luporini, 10 September 2022

British composer Thomas Adès conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in a custom-made programme, also featuring Pekka Kuusisto's hypnotic violin-playing.

***11

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Berlin

10 Sep 2022

Composer at the mirror: Adès makes Berliner Philharmoniker debut

By Elena Luporini

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London

What larks! Pekka Kuusisto and the Finnish RSO at the Proms

By Mark Pullinger, 26 August 2022

New Chief Conductor Nicholas Collon passes the Sibelius test with flying colours in a fine Fifth Symphony.

***11

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London

26 Aug 2022

What larks! Pekka Kuusisto and the Finnish RSO at the Proms

By Mark Pullinger

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London

Fresh thinking from Finland: Kuusisto, Rouvali and the Philharmonia Orchestra

By Roy Westbrook, 02 December 2021

A fresh look at Sibelius' Violin Concerto and a bracing trip to the countryside in Beethoven's Pastoral at the Royal Festival Hall.

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London

02 Dec 2021

Kuusisto and Rouvali offer fresh thinking from Finland

By Roy Westbrook

London

Percussion thrills aplenty from Rouvali, Kuusisto and the Philharmonia

By David Karlin, 03 October 2021

From an unknown Mexican piece to an all-new Bryce Dessner concerto to the familiar Rite of Spring, Rouvali and the Philharmonia blow the roof off the Royal Festival Hall.

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London

03 Oct 2021

Percussion thrills aplenty from Rouvali, Kuusisto and the Philharmonia

By David Karlin

London

Refreshing Beethoven from Benedetti, Kuusisto and the Philharmonia

By Nick Boston, 30 November 2020

Lightness of touch and attention to detail from Benedetti, and tight ensemble and grace from Kuusisto and the Philharmonia in the Second Symphony.

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London

30 Nov 2020

Refreshing Beethoven from Benedetti, Kuusisto and the Philharmonia

By Nick Boston

Perth

Britten and Clyne: astonishing verve from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

By David Smythe, 26 November 2020

A dream team of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra directed by Pekka Kussisto, with Allan Clayton and Alec Frank-Gemmill astonish with two modern icons: Clyne’s Within Her Arms and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.

*****

*****

Perth

26 Nov 2020

Britten and Clyne: astonishing verve from the SCO

By David Smythe

London

Prom 20: eventful all-Sibelius Prom from Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC SSO

By Mark Valencia, 03 August 2019

I’ve heard this concerto a hundred times but it’s never sounded quite like this. It was a coming home.

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London

03 Aug 2019

Prom 20: eventful all-Sibelius Prom

By Mark Valencia

New York City

Mostly Mozart: Bartók, Vivaldi and... Scandinavian folk music?

By David Wolfson, 27 July 2019

The idea of reframing a warhorse of the classical repertory isn't a bad one. Theatre and opera goers have their modern-dress versions of Shakespeare and Mozart. Why not try it with Vivaldi?

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New York City

27 Jul 2019

Mostly Mozart: Bartók, Vivaldi and... Scandinavian folk music?

By David Wolfson

London

Sparkling “Music of the Spheres” full of cosmic energy from Kuusisto, Collon and Aurora Orchestra

By Nick Boston, 05 June 2019

The Aurora Orchestra and Collon engage audiences new and old with infectiously joyful Mozart and intensely virtuosic Adès, with Pekka Kuusisto.

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London

05 Jun 2019

Cosmic energy from Kuusisto, Collon and the Aurora Orchestra

By Nick Boston

London

A breath of Finnish fresh air: Rouvali and the Philharmonia on top form in Stravinsky and Adams

By Chris Garlick, 30 May 2019

A breath of Finnish fresh air blew onto the London music scene with the announcement from the Philharmonia Orchestra of the appointment of Santtu-Matias Rouvali as their new Principal Conductor from 2021.

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London

30 May 2019

Finnish fresh air: Rouvali and the Philharmonia on top form

By Chris Garlick

Edinburgh

Playful, creative and joyous: Pekka Kuusisto directs the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

By David Smythe, 21 March 2019

Pekka Kuusisto’s direction of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is playful, creative and joyous in a mixed programme from Biber to Bartók, Haydn to Messiaen wrapped round with Ravel.

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Edinburgh

21 Mar 2019

Playful, creative and joyous: Pekka Kuusisto directs the SCO

By David Smythe

London

Prom 47: a searing new violin ‘concerto’ from Philip Venables... and Bartók

By Matthew Rye, 17 August 2018

Biography, autobiography and the music of two composers combined in the latest BBC commission unveiled at the Proms.

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London

17 Aug 2018

Searing new violin ‘concerto’ from Philip Venables... and Bartók

By Matthew Rye

London

Nordic, but not noir: Salonen and the Philharmonia match Sibelius with new Icelandic talent

By Dominic Lowe, 28 September 2017

In its opening concert of the season, the Philharmonia gave two of Sibelius' symphonies with two modern pieces by a pair of Iceland's finest young composers, which made for rewarding listening.

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London

28 Sep 2017

Nordic, but not noir: Salonen and the Philharmonia

By Dominic Lowe

London

Prom 27: Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto delights with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

By Oliver Brett, 05 August 2016

Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is anything other than ordinary in a concert that shows off the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at their best.

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London

05 Aug 2016

Prom 27: Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto delights with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

By Oliver Brett

Sydney

Australian Chamber Orchestra: Beethoven and the 21st century

By Tony Burke, 14 February 2016

A serious programme for a Valentine's day concert at Sydney Opera House.

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Sydney

14 Feb 2016

Beethoven and the 21st century with the ACO

By Tony Burke

London

IMS Prussia Cove concert presents Beethoven, Martinů and Mendelssohn at Wigmore Hall

By Chris Garlick, 02 October 2014

An attractive concert of the unusual repertoire performed by the IMS Prussia Cove – two little known string quintets by Beethoven and Mendelssohnn and a 20th century string quartet by Martinů that is woefully neglected in the concert hall.

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London

02 Oct 2014

IMS Prussia Cove presents rare Martinů

By Chris Garlick

London

The Philharmonia, Collon and Kuusisto perform British music at the Royal Festival Hall

By Chris Garlick, 06 February 2014

The Philharmonia, conducted by Nicholas Collon, perform two masterpieces by Britten and Vaughan Williams and a newer work by Thomas Adès.

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London

06 Feb 2014

The Philharmonia play Britten and Adès

By Chris Garlick

New York City

Old, new and timeless: Pekka Kuusisto and Nico Muhly at (Le) Poisson Rouge

By Bachtrack reviewer, 03 January 2014

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto and composer Nico Muhly performed at (Le) Poisson Rouge, with music by Bach, Pärt, Glass, and Muhly.

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New York City

03 Jan 2014

Pekka Kuusisto and Nico Muhly at LPR

By Bachtrack reviewer

London

Britten Sinfonia's voyage to Britten at Milton Court

By Renée Reitsma, 24 November 2013

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto and Britten Sinfonia succeeded in creating a dynamic and captivating programme at Milton Court, with a series of works conceived as a whole and leading up to Britten's Serenade.

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London

24 Nov 2013

Britten Sinfonia at Milton Court

By Renée Reitsma

London

Dancing to Benjamin Britten: Richard Alston’s Phaedra

By Jaime Robles, 07 November 2013

Barbican Britten: Phaedra is just one of the events in the venue’s two-week celebration of the composer’s centenary. The programme presents four pieces choreographed by Richard Alston to Benjamin Britten’s music. Alston’s choreography is well suited to Britten’s music: both artists are lyrical, tempered, and incline toward narrative.

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London

07 Nov 2013

Dancing to Benjamin Britten: Richard Alston’s Phaedra

By Jaime Robles

Helsinki

Tapiola Sinfonietta dancing with Pekka Kuusisto at the Helsinki Music Centre

By Bèla Bianca, 25 May 2013

What I have experienced multiple times with Tapiola Sinfonietta and with Pekka Kuusisto, and today with both, is that no matter how high your expectations are, these players will always outperform them.

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Helsinki

25 May 2013

Tapiola Sinfonietta dancing with Pekka Kuusisto at the Helsinki Music Centre

By Bèla Bianca

London

A Scream and an Outrage: Session Two at LSO St Luke's

By Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, 11 May 2013

The title for this Barbican event certainly threw up some interesting questions. Having failed to attend a riotous dinner party that was characterised by one attendee as “a scream and an outrage”, Nico Muhly set about curating a series of concerts under this title. However, no screams or outrages occurred this weekend.

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London

11 May 2013

A Scream and an Outrage: Session Two at LSO St Luke's

By Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade

London

Pekka Kuusisto: Bach and electronic improvisations

By Emily Owen, 18 February 2013

It seems an unlikely concert title: Bach and electronic improvisations, but that is exactly what the unassuming Pekka Kuusisto informed us we were going to be experiencing at Kings Place on Monday night.

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London

18 Feb 2013

Pekka Kuusisto: Bach and electronic improvisations

By Emily Owen

Siuntio

The Kuusisto effect: Brahms, Ives and Ligeti in Siuntio, Finland

By Bèla Bianca, 11 November 2012

Last Sunday, Pekka Kuusisto performed in Siuntio, a Finnish town not so far from Helsinki, as part of the Lux Musicae Festival, together with pianist Joonas Ahonen and hornist Hervé Joulain. In the penumbra of the candles and the gentle lights of a beautiful church from the 1400s, the first notes of Brahms’ Violin Sonata in G major resounded. Kuusisto’s sound is all about the power of simplicity.

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Siuntio

11 Nov 2012

The Kuusisto effect: Brahms, Ives and Ligeti in Siuntio, Finland

By Bèla Bianca

London

Looking Forward with Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican

By Paul Kilbey, 27 October 2012

Pleasantly enough, Britten Sinfonia went down a thoroughly unconventional route in celebrating their 20th birthday at the Barbican on Saturday, with a brilliantly varied range of new pieces mixing with chamber orchestra classics.

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London

27 Oct 2012

Looking Forward with Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican

By Paul Kilbey

Amsterdam

Fantastic Finnish tango by Kuusisto and Rantala at Robeco Zomerconcerten

By Renée Reitsma, 23 July 2012

“Finnish tango” are two words that you might not expect to see together, yet here we were on a Monday night in the Concertgebouw, listening to exactly that. Violinist Pekka Kuusisto was joined by Iiro Rantala in the third concert of his Robeco Zomerconcerten residency and together they delivered a high-energy performance that found itself somewhere in between jazz, tango and classical music.

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Amsterdam

23 Jul 2012

Fantastic Finnish tango by Kuusisto and Rantala at Robeco Zomerconcerten

By Renée Reitsma

Amsterdam

Marvelous Paganini by Kuusisto and Eskelinen at Robeco Zomerconcerten

By Renée Reitsma, 04 July 2012

Chamber music recitals are usually more intimate and personal than big orchestral performances. Generally, this is a very pleasant thing as it there is less distance – literally and figuratively – between the musicians and the audience. Now when the chamber musicians include Pekka Kuusisto, it isn’t just a pleasant thing, it’s a fantastic thing.

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Amsterdam

04 Jul 2012

Marvelous Paganini by Kuusisto and Eskelinen at Robeco Zomerconcerten

By Renée Reitsma

Amsterdam

Zomerconcerten's opening night: The joy of Kuusisto

By Renée Reitsma, 29 June 2012

When it comes to summertime concerts, visitors to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw are often lucky, and this year is no different: the Robeco Zomerconcerten offer a diverse and exciting program that was kicked off by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky and Pekka Kuusisto with music by Elgar, Sibelius and Tchaikovksy.

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Amsterdam

29 Jun 2012

Zomerconcerten's opening night: The joy of Kuusisto

By Renée Reitsma

London

Nico Muhly with the Britten Sinfonia and Friends

By Paul Kilbey, 16 March 2012

To call last night’s Nico Muhly extravaganza at the Barbican a concert of two halves would not go far enough. It was more like two concerts, with a surprisingly short gap between them. The first was made up of three new classical works played by the Britten Sinfonia, and the second was a set of arty folk numbers and other chamber miniatures by Muhly and others.

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London

16 Mar 2012

Nico Muhly with the Britten Sinfonia and Friends

By Paul Kilbey

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Zurich

Prickelndes Gastspiel: Joana Mallwitz dirigiert in der Tonhalle Zürich

By Thomas Schacher, 04 July 2024

Mit Mahlers Erster Symphonie, die sie schon bei ihrem Einstand im Berliner Konzerthaus dirigiert hat, begeistert die deutsche Dirigentin auch das Zürcher Publikum restlos.

*****

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*****

Zurich

04 Jul 2024

Prickelndes Gastspiel: Joana Mallwitz dirigiert in der Tonhalle Zürich

By Thomas Schacher

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Paris

Sous la direction de Pekka Kuusisto, l'Orchestre de chambre de Paris sert idéalement passé et présent

By Alain Lompech, 30 May 2024

Dans Beethoven, le violoniste et chef finlandais mène son orchestre jusqu'au miracle, rappelant les grandes phalanges historiquement informées. Jonathan Biss complète ce beau tableau dans un passionnant diptyque de concertos.

*****

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*****

Paris

30 May 2024

L'Orchestre de chambre de Paris sert idéalement passé et présent

By Alain Lompech

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Paris

Les geysers de Dessner et Bartók emportent la Philharmonie

By Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut, 08 December 2021

L'Orchestre de Paris retrouve Nina Stemme et Gerald Finley pour une de leurs œuvres fétiches, Le Château de Barbe-Bleue. Pekka Kuusisto donne la création française du Concerto de Bryce Dessner.

****1

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Paris

08 Dec 2021

Les geysers de Dessner et Bartók emportent la Philharmonie

By Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut

Paris

L’étonnant pas de deux de Kuusisto et Adès à la Fondation Vuitton

By Tristan Labouret, 04 October 2021

L'ovni violonistique Pekka Kuusisto et le pianiste-compositeur Thomas Adès ont livré un récital original et enlevé, imprévisible mais loin d'être incohérent.

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Paris

04 Oct 2021

L’étonnant pas de deux de Kuusisto et Adès à la Fondation Vuitton

By Tristan Labouret